Welcome to the fourth entry in February’s Medium Mod Contest. One Medium Mod will be published in every Email Alert in February. At the end of the month, we’ll hold a reader vote to determine February’s winner. Click here for information about the 2021 Mod Contest, including how to enter.
Bob Claycomb, Porterfield, Wisconsin
Compact Shoe Storage Box For Campers
2007 Ram 2500
2019 Northstar Laredo
We’ve struggled with shoe storage both in our previous pop-up truck camper and in our current Northstar Laredo hard side. We tried to stack them under the overhang under the counter. They would get bumped and ended up scattered on the floor and did not stay in a neat corner.
Due to the height of the overhang, we wanted to store them vertically. We actually tried an old cardboard case that stored 5 1/4 inch floppy disks. Anybody remember those? That worked well, but I wanted to make something bigger and more durable.
I’m a woodworker with a personal supply of nice hardwood lumber, so the answer seemed clear. I made the case 32-inches long, 6-inches deep, and about 5-inches high.
Weight is more of an issue than strength, so I made it out of 1/2-inch basswood. I wanted the compartments to be adjustable, so I made dados every inch to hold 3/16-inch plywood dividers.
A coat of shellac and two coats of Formby’s Tung Oil Finish was applied before gluing. To allow drainage if shoes are wet I covered the bottom with a screen cloth holding it in place with 1/2-inch stringers.
I think it’s going to work great! If I was doing it again I’d just make another stringer or two and skip the screening. I’d also make it a little less tall so that shoes could be slipped in without pulling the box from under the overhang.
It took me three hours to complete this modification and cost me $0. I had all of the materials on hand.
In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is medium.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
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If you’d like to enter a modification you’ve done on your truck camper, click here. You can enter as many mods as you want, at any time. Good luck mod makers!
